Barberton Municipal Court plans eviction seminar

BARBERTON — Christine Croce, presiding judge of the Barberton Municipal Court, has announced the court will hold a free informational eviction seminar for landlords and tenants April 23 at 5 p.m. at the Active Adult Center Barberton YMCA, 500 W. Hopocan Ave.

The seminar will provide information and answer questions about the eviction process.

Clerk of Court Diana Stevenson will discuss the requirements of filing and responding to an eviction complaint. Attorneys Joann Sahl, Bruce May, Jim Casey and John Petit will provide an overview of landlord-tenant law and offer information to help landlords and tenants understand their rights and responsibilities. Barberton Service Bailiff Bill Braman will discuss service issues and the set-out process.

This is an informational seminar only. No individual cases will be discussed or resolved, according to court officials.

Registration is not necessary for this free seminar, and light refreshments will be served. For additional information, contact the Barberton Municipal Court at 330-861-7215.

The Barberton Municipal Court District serves the communities of Barberton, Coventry, Clinton, Green, New Franklin, Copley and Norton.

Advisory committee for Probate Court forming

The 30-member group will meet quarterly to learn about the services and work of the Summit County Probate Court and to gather input to help the court be responsive to the needs of the community, according to Stormer.

“The Summit County Probate Court Citizen’s Advisory Committee will be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the court in our community,” said Stormer. “With its input, we will be able to increase the court’s community outreach efforts and communicate vital information regarding the over 200 duties that the Ohio Revised Code places upon the Probate Court. This committee will support the court’s continuing goal of transparency and accountability to the citizens of Summit County. The Citizen’s Advisory Committee membership will strive to represent Summit County demographically. Members may have had experience with Probate Court service.”

Among the services offered by the court are marriage licenses, changes of name, birth certificates, adoptions, guardianships, wills, trusts, estates and concerns relating to end-of-life decisions. In addition, the Probate Court judge appoints members to various independent board and commissions in Summit County.

The 2013 meetings of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee are scheduled for June 6, Sept. 5 and Dec. 5 from noon to 1 p.m.

Anyone interested in more information about the new committee can contact the court at 330-643-2332.

The new tower will be built on Locust Street, and the plans call for a permanent closing of Locust Street between Exchange Street and Buchtel Avenue.

Akron Children’s Emergency Department, which fronts Locust Street, will remain open at all times during the construction. The hospital offers a free valet parking service for emergency patients.

Visitors should disregard their GPS instructions once they near Akron Children’s and pay attention to street signs, according to city of Akron officials. Street signs directing patients to the Emergency Department will feature large red directional arrows and will say “Emergency.”

Signs with black arrows will direct people to the hospital’s Bowery and Locust Street parking decks and the hospital’s main entrance. Patients and visitors to the Locust Professional Building will still be able to access the Locust Street Parking Deck from Locust Street by way of West State Street.

With increased traffic on Bowery Street and other surrounding streets, patients, staff and visitors are encouraged to use the walkways connecting the hospital and its professional buildings rather than attempting to cross the streets.

Women’s Endowment Fund celebrates Mother’s Day by honoring special women

AKRON — The Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation (ACF) is offering community members the chance to give a Mother’s Day gift that will benefit women across the Greater Akron area.

During April, donors can make tribute or memorial gifts in honor of the special women who have impacted their lives. In turn, those women will receive a Mother’s Day card designed specifically for the Women’s Endowment Fund by Akron Public Schools art teacher Brianna Hayes with students Phoebe Smucker and Brianna Johnson. The card will inform the honoree that a gift was made in her name, though the amount will not be disclosed.

Donations will ultimately support the Women’s Endowment Fund’s grant-making, which to date nears $600,000. Recently, the fund awarded $95,000 to programs that improve women’s economic empowerment, safety, and health and wellness.

“The Mother’s Day campaign is a great opportunity for individuals to honor a loved one with a beautifully decorated card while also supporting causes that uplift women and girls,” said Tracy Carter, president of the Women’s Endowment Fund.

Last year’s Mother’s Day campaign raised more than $7,000 for the Women’s Endowment Fund. To participate, call Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522. Gifts must be made by April 30 to ensure honorees receive their cards by Mother’s Day.

ODNR says watch for wildlife as weather warms

OHIO — As the spring brings the next generation of wildlife, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) advises residents to enjoy Ohio’s wildlife from a distance.

This advice extends to young or presumed abandoned wildlife. Young animals are usually not abandoned, and the parents will retrieve them, especially when left alone by humans, according to ODNR officials, who added that a wild animal, even when young, is capable of biting, scratching and transmitting diseases and parasites to humans and pets.

Many wild animals are raised by only one adult and are not tended to during daylight hours, according to ODNR officials, who say to not capture and attempt to care for animals. State and federal laws protect and regulate wildlife and endangered species in Ohio. Only persons known as rehabilitators, under special permits issued by the ODNR Division of Wildlife, may possess and care for native wild animals.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife and Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (OWRA) offers the following advice to reduce human interference with wildlife:

Think before you act. Check for nests before mowing, cutting trees or clearing brush. It is best to cut trees and clear brush in the autumn when nesting season is over.

Leave the animal in the wild. If a person disturbs a nest, he or she should wear gloves and replace the animal and the nest material to the original location or as close as possible. It’s a myth that wildlife parents will not tend to their young because of human scent, according to ODNR officials. Wildlife parents are devoted parents, and most birds don’t even have a sense of smell, according to ODNR officials.

Keep pets under control so they do not raid nests and injure wild animals. Keep pets inoculated against parasites and diseases.

Educate children to respect wildlife and their habitat and not to handle wild animals.

Contact the local wildlife official or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. Call 800-945-3543 or visit www.owra.org to learn more.